Week 2- What is literacy and how does it change in response to new media?

“what counts as literacy, how literacy changes in response to the new media landscape,” and what value we should ascribe to the new forms of communication that continue to emerge and evolve online (Jenkins, 2009)

I think that it is difficult to define and quantify "What is literacy?."  I am a math person; my brain analyzes based on evidence and logic.  I really appreciated the approach that the book (Lankshear and Knobel) took on defining it in multiple contexts; as functional and active citizenship.  It pulls together the ability and the skills that are considered literate and the value or benefits of a literate life. (p. 6 and 76)  The article brings in this new concept of digital literacy, and the ability to use the internet.  It is great, because within the definitions of literacy in the book; you can accurately define it as an actual literacy that is important to everyday life.  It is so important for all students to learn these skills that digital literacy will begin to be assessed globally (Rich, 2008, paragraph 11). This article was written in 2008, so I assume it has already taken place.  I would be interested to see the scores of the countries that participated since the article stated that the United States was not going to be one of them.  

To compare, the article to the readings in the book, I think that as new "literacies" develop naturally in our ever changing world we can assess them and determine whether or not that can be constituted as literacies.  They can be assessed based on their functionality and requirement to be active citizens of society.  In twenty years it might be that we all have those google glasses.Google Glasses literacy might be a real thing.  It could be something that is necessary to function within our society.  Maybe all the road signs and maps will be displayed on the glasses so that the DOT doesn't have to keep changing the big interstate signs every time they build a new road. And citizens won't have to purchase atlases every year, or update their GPS. They will always be up to date.   if you don't have the glasses you will be lost!  Or at least at a disadvantage compared to everyone else.  

I know this is kind of a silly example, but I truly think that as technologies develop new literacy requirements will as well.  I mean, what if we develop teleportation eventually?  It might become a requirement for a person to learn more than one language.  Whenever the person whats to go, at any given time, around the planet they will need to be literate in those places to function in society there.   More people may live abroad, in different parts of the world for different times of the year.  I can't even imagine all of the possibilities but I can definitely see a challenge for those who are only literate in one language. 

What do you think?? I would be pretty excited for some instant transmission :)

---Nicole






Knobel, M. & Lankshear, C. (2011). Literacies: Social, cultural, and historical 
perspectives. New York: Peter Lang Publishing 

 Rich, M. (2008, July 27). Literacy Debate: Online, R U Really Reading? New York Times. Retrieved May 28, 2015, from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/27/books/27reading.html?pagewanted=all&_r=2&  

Week 1- Literacy As Social Practice

"The distinctive contribution of the approach to literacy as social practice lies in the ways in which it involves careful and sensitive attention to what people do with texts, how they make sense of them and use them to further their own purposes in their own learning lives" (Gillen and Barton, 2010, p. 9).

The first thing that comes to mind when I read this quote is, "This is so relevant to my own life!"  It is funny that it specifically addresses texts, because my feelings about text messages has greatly changed over the last ten years.  When I was 15 and starting dating my husband (then boyfriend)  it would drive me insane whenever he would text me. I hated it.  I would have so much rather have gotten a phone call.  I thought it was so rude and inconsiderate to send me short messages instead of the decency to share time with me over the phone.  These days, ten years and a child later, I love the short messages that I receive throughout the day.  It shows me that he is thinking about me.  But, since we are both working we don't exactly have time to just drop what we are doing and have a nice long chat in the middle of the day.

I think it is very easy to misinterpret a text because you are missing out on their tone of voice and body language. More times than not I find myself asking if my husband is upset about something by the "sound" of his texts; which 99% of the time he isn't.  

I think that texting has become a more preferred and common form of communication over speaking in person or on the phone.  I think that with  the evolution of cell phones and the availability of texting that  dozens of new terminology and acronyms have surfaced.  So, yes we have all "learned" that LOL means 'laughing out loud' but is this useful for "them to further their own purposes in their own learning lives," I am not so sure.  My experience in the classroom has shown that since cellphones have been allowed into schools and texting more popular than ever; that students are carrying over their texting language onto their English assignments.  It makes me worried about their ability to write in a professional manner.  But, looking at it in the light of this class as a "New Literacy" I guess it isn't 'bad' unless we label it so.  Who says that "l8r" cannot be an acceptable form of the word "later"? Why is LOL unacceptable for a school paper, but ASAP is?

In Chapter 10: The "New Literacy Studies" from Literacies: Social, Cultural and Historical Perspectives by Lankshear and Knobel it mentions, "(new literacies) it does not follow from the fact that so-called new technologies are being used in literacy education that new literacies are being engaged with. Still less does it imply that learners are developing, critiquing, analyzing, or even becoming technically proficient with new literacies" (p.189). So, sure we are using these new technologies in the classroom to help familiarize ourselves and our students with the "new literacies" but it isn't necessarily making students more apt to make advances in such a field.  It is part of their everyday lives so much that they aren't thinking any deeper about it, they are just using it for what its worth.I think that it is definitely a social practice AND a type of new literacy. I think that our society has made them one in the same. Everyone is expected to have a cell phone, internet, facebook, twitter, an e-mail, skype etc. etc. etc. For what purpose? To be connected to people that we hardly know? And to become less connected to the people we do know.  Because, we would rather send them a happy birthday text message or facebook post than call them on the phone and have a legitimate conversation.  Maybe not everyone; but I know that most of the people who wish me happy birthday on facebook are more aquantencies than friends. So whats the point?

I hope this isn't too rambling, but the topic is interconnected to many others in a direct way.  

--Nicole